Bag closing machine



June 4, 1935.

C. V. BRADY E1' AL BAG CLOS ING MACHINE Filed Feb. 17, 1934' 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 gw @E Sm mm, .WN

June 4, 1935. c. v. BRADY Er AL BAG CLOSING MACHINE Filed Feb. 17, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 4, 1935. c v BRADY ET AL 2,003,337

BAG CLOSING MACHINE Filed Feb. 17, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 im I im* 'Illu m l l i I J 5 I| E i I ww /f/ l j f/ X7; WJ

Patented June 4, 19.35

2,003,337 BAG cLosmG'MAcnlNE charles v. Brady, Webster Groves, and 'Frank n. Linda, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Bemis Bro. Bag Co., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application February A1'1, 1934, Serial No. 711,702

12 Claims.

This invention relates to bag closing machines, and with regard to certain more specific features, go machines of this class for closing taped seam ass.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a bag closing machine for closing the top seam of a filled bag, said seam being made according to the disclosure of United States Patent 1,853,013 issued to Charles V. Brady, dated April 5, 1932; the provision of a machine of the class described which shall automatically apply adhesive to a taping strip, and fold and compress said taping strip over the mouth of a fllled bag; and the provision of a machine of the class which is operable with maximum convenience to the operator and which has a high output rate. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

1n the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. l is a perspective view of the operating machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig'. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail showing a modification of the compressing means;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing another modification; and,

. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 showing a third modification.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown at numeral I a support for a doublereach, driven conveyor belt 3 which receives open filled bags from a platform composed ,of idle rollers 5. The belt 3 is driven from motor I1. by a chain drive I8. The belt 3 delivers closed filled bags to a gravity roller chute 1, the bags leaning against a rail 9 in their travel. Bags placed on the platform of idle rollers 5 have their open mouths II placed under a filler opening I3 by means of which they are filled, a suitable valve being used for controlling ow through the opening I3. Thereafter the filled, open-mouthed bags are manually pushed from the rollers 5 onto and along with the belt 3 and into juxtaposition with respect l to the machine to be described. After the machine has closed the bag mouths, they are automatically advanced to the gravity chute 1 and delivered, to a suitable point of take-off. The operator I5 controls the motor I1 of the closing machine by means of a foot switch I9.

Referring in further particular to Figs. 2 and 4, the closer per se will be seen to comprise a standard 2l carrying an 'overhanging head 23. On one end of the head 23 is a support for a supply roll of closure tape 25, said tape corresponding to the tape referred to in said Patent 1,853,013. Briefly, this tape consists of a strip of woven material to which liquid latex is applied and the tape then folded and compressed over the open mouth of the bag.

The head 23 supports a bracket 21 which in turn carries a tensioning device comprising a channel 29 engaged by a spring 3|, the latter being on an adjustable shaft 33 which may be moved by means of a hand wheel 35 and maintained in a predetermined position by a thumb screw 31 (Figs. 1 and 2). Thus, by turning the hand wheel 35 clockwise tension may be `increased on material drawn through the tension device, the same being maintained at predetermined values by locking the shaft in adjusted position with said thumb screw 31.

The head 23 also carries a sump 39 for adhesive such as liquid latex, the adhesive in said sump 39 being maintained at a constant level by suitable means (not shown).

The bracket 21 carries a removably journaled roll 4I adapted to dip into the adhesive in the sump 39 and to be engaged by the strip 25 as it comes from the tensioning device. The strip 25 is held against the adhesive roll 4I by means of a pivoted idler roll 43. Thus it will be seen that by drawing the strip 25 over the roll 4I, it is provided on one side thereof with a coating of adhesive liquid such as liquid latex.

At the outer end of the head 23 is a guide roller 45 which engages the strip 25 on its non-adhesive side, this being effected by giving the strip 25 a -half twist as it proceeds from the adhesive roll 4I to roll 45 (see numeral 41). The head 23 is rotatable on the standard 2 I, the same being held in predetermined angular position by set screws '49.

At a lower elevation on the standard 2| is provided a bracket 5I which carries an endwise receiving roll which feeds the tape 25 into a creaser head 55, a cross section of which is shown in Fig. 3 with the strip 25 therein and showing the same being creased. The creaser head 55 is adjustable vertically and horizontally by a slot and bolt combination 56.

At the rear end of the creaser 55 the bracket 5| is so formed as at numeral 51 to support a pair of vertical shafts 59 which carry pulleys 5I over which a belt 53 is trained, the latter being maintained in tight position by idler pulleys 85. 'I'he shafts 59 also carry gears 61 above the pulleys and the left-hand shaft 59 (Fig. 2) is provided with a bevel gear 59 which is driven froma bevel gear 1|, the latter being on a shaft 13 which in turn is driven by a drive 15 from said motor I1.

Slidably mounted on said bracket 5| is a secondary bracket 11 which has a tongue 19 slidable In a groove 8| of said bracket 5|. The tongue 19 is attached at 83 to a cross head 85 which slides in a slot I1 (see also Fig. 5). A screw 9| operated from a hand wheel 93 is adapted to control the motion o! a cross head 55 by means of a resilient spring connection 95, whereby said bracket I1 may be resiliently pressed toward the bracket 5|. i The bracket 11 also carries corresponding shafts ll'having gears 51 and pulleys 6| thereon with a corresponding belt 53 and idlers 55. A second group of idlers 51 on the frames 5| and 11 insure straight adjacent reaches of said belt 53. In order that the belts 53 may be moving at equal speeds where adjacent, equal sprockets 55 and a chain drive IIII are used between the shaft 55 on the bracket 11. The gears 51 on the bracket 11 are meshed with the corresponding gears 51 on the main bracket 5I. Rotation of the drive 15 thus results in movement being eil'ected through the bevel gears 1| and 55, thereby driving the s`et of gears B1 on the bracket 5I in a clockwise direction, as shown and the set of gears 51 on the secondary bracket 11 in a coimterclockwise direction (as shown). 'I'he adjacent reaches of the belt 53 are placed adjacently to the rear mouth |03 of the creaser 55 so that as the creased strip 25 emerges from the mouth |03 it is gripped between the adjacent reaches of the belts 5I.y

In order that the bracketor carriage 11 may be moved outwardly to disengage the inner reaches of belt 53, an arm I U5 is provided to which is attached a cam |01 (Fig. 5). When the cam |01 is thrown clockwise the cross head 85 is thrown to the right, against the compression of spring I5, thereby throwing the carriage 11 to the right and relieving the compression between belt reaches, as well as separating saidV reaches.

'I'he operation of the device is as follows:

The operator I5 receives the lled and openmouthed bags |08 from the support 5 and holds the opposite sides of the open mouths adjacently, as shown at |09. He also advances the bags so that the parallel mouth sides III! are surrounded by the strip of material 25 as it is being creased in the creaser 55. The adhesive of the strip 25 thus engages the oppositely located sides |09 of the bag mouth. The operator may then release his hold, whereupon the bag is drawn along by the conveyor belt 3 and the creased strip, the latter Ilowing between the adjacent reaches of belts 53 where it'is compressed and creased over the sides |05. The belts not only press the strip to the bags but assist in power translation of the bags on and with the belt 3.

As the bags leave the belts 63 they have their mouths closed by the creased strip. The strip is thencutbetweenbamthercbyproridingindividual closures. The bags then advancetothegravityrollerchute1wherethqan discharged.

Itwillbeunderstoodthattbeopemtoontmh the motor I1 fromthefootswitch liandthathe need not continuously pushthe bags on themveyor 3, because the creased stripamlthc drivm conveyor 3 are eifective as a drive as advance is.

made. Allthattheoperatorneedstodoistnmme thebagfromthesupportltotheeonveyorl. The operator may or may not operate the machine continuously, depending upon individlnl preference.

Inllig.8isshownanalternativemethoddeun pressingthe creasedstripagaimtthebagmli comprisingapairoflinkbelts II paasingover sprockets ||3,insteadofcverpulleys. lhthtseaae inner'idler sprockets ||5 are used for eil'ecthl compression between reaches of the InFlg.7isshowna w w -1 mmwhlehil independent of belts, the same comprisim a plurality of compressor rollers II1 without belli and drivenbymeansofageartrahx Illincludllgmitable idlers |25 for obtaining P10981' robtim d therolls. 'Ihiscompreasorunitisalaopdtimed behindthecreaser55whenitkused.

InFlg.6issbownanotherfm-mofm unit employing only a single pair nl.' rolls l2lwith'asinglepairofgearal1. Intim form of the deviceonlyone-halfoftheauxiliary brackets 11 needstobeusedandthhlns hem renumberedas |25.

Thesupport2| isheldtotheoorbymeanscf aboot |21. Itwillbeunderstoodthattherpain( bracket 5| andtheheadllarerotatahlyadjmta bleandthatthebracketll maybeclnngedin elevation to diilerent bag heights. Inammch al adjustrnentisonlywheniiutallillthe thescopeoftheinventiomitisintmdedtlntall matter contained in the above (kam-Im nr shownintheaccompanyingdrawingsahallbeinterpretedasillustrativeandnotinallmidll sense.

V ofthesarne to the bag mxth.. and travelling means adapted to receive thebag moutl the'stripthereontotheatrip mouthandtoassistthemnvemmtofthebagm .saidsupportingconveyor.A

2.Abag closingmachineabdt adapted to receive thebagmouthswiihthestrip thereon tocompress thestripovu-themouthand Cil to help movethe bag, said supporting belt being caused to move at the same rate as said travelling' means.

3. In a bag closing machine a, folder for closure tape, means in said folder accommodating the folded tape and the mouth of the bag within the tape, compression means adapted to withdraw the folded tape and bag mouth from said folder, said compression means comprising parallel reaches of belt, means for supporting the parallel reaches, means for resiliently pressing said reaches toward one another, and driving means for said reaches so that said adjacent portions thereof shall move in the same direction.

4. In a, bag closing machine a folder for closure tape, means in said folder accommodating the folded tape and the mouth of the bag Within the tape, compression means adapted to withdraw the folded tape and bag mouth from said folder, said compression means comprising parallel reachesof belt, means for supporting the parallel reaches, means for resiliently pressing said reaches toward one another, driving means for said reaches so that said adjacent portions thereof shall move in the same direction and means for relieving the pressure between reaches.

5. In a bag closing machine a folder for closure tape, means in said folder accommodating the folded tape and the mouth of the bag within the tape, compression means adapted to withdraw.

of shall move in the same direction, and idling means adapted to maintain the belts in substantial surface contact with the strip where they compress the strip.

6. In bag closing apparatus, compression means comprising means for mounting two reaches of belt, resilient means for compressing said reaches toward one another, driving means for driving said reaches so that the adjacent portions move in the same direction at the same velocity, and means for delivering to said compression means bags and a strip of material folded over their closed mouths.

7. In bag closing apparatus, compression means comprising means for mounting two reaches of belt, resilient means for compressing said reaches toward one another, driving means for driving said reaches so that the adjacent portions move in the same direction at the same velocity, means for delivering to said compression means bags with a strip of material folded over their mouths, and emergency means for moving the juxtaposed belt reaches one from the other against the force tending normally to resiliently hold them together.

8. In a closing machine, compression means comprising juxtaposed rolls, means resiliently pressing said rolls together, means for supplying a folded strip to said rolls with bag mouths within the fold of the strip, and means for driving said rolls so that juxtaposed surfaces against said strip move in the same direction at substantially the same velocity.

9. In a closing machine, compression means comprising juxtaposed rolls, means resiliently pressing said rolls together, means for supplying a folded strip to said rolls with bag mouths within the fold of the strip, means for driving said rolls so that juxtaposed surfaces against said strip move in the same direction at substantially the same velocity and means for separating the rolls against the force resiliently holding them together.

10. In a bag closing machine. compressing means comprising a pair of adjacently located movable'members, means for driving said members so that adjacent surfaces move in the same direction and at substantially the same velocity, means for delivering between said members a strip folded over open bag mouths, means for resiliently forcing said members together to press said strip against the bag mouths, and means for adjusting the resilient forcing means.

11. In a bag closing machine, compressing means comprising a pair of adjacently located movable members, means for driving said members so that adjacent surfaces move in the same direction at substantially the same velocity, means for delivering between said members a strip folded over open bag mouths, means for resiliently forcing said members together to press said strip against the bag mouths, means foradjusting the resilient forcing means, and means for overcoming said force and separating said member to release the pressure on said strip.

12. In a bag closing machine, compressing means comprising a pair of adjacently located movable members, means for driving said members so that adjacent surfaces move in the same direction at substantially the same velocity, means for delivering between said members a strip folded over open bag mouths, means for resiliently forcing said members together to press said strip against the bag mouths, means for adjusting the resilient forcing means, means for overcoming said force and separating said members to release the pressure on said stripfmeans for applying adhesive to said strip before it reaches said'folding means, and tensioning means therefor.

CHARLES V. BRADY. FRANK R. LINDA.

nl soLAlMl-:Rf

'2,001l,337.-Uhales V. Brady; Webster Groves, and Frank R. Linda, Sii. Louis, Mo.

BAG CLOSING MACHINE. Patent dated June 4, 1935. Disclaimer filed July 29, 1936, by the assignee, Bemis Bro. Bag 0o.

Hex-eb enters this disclaimer to claims 9, 11, and 12 of said specification. [jcial Gazette August 25, 1.936] 

